Photo by Rebecca Tredway Photography
I’m just going to admit it- I’m not always a very compassionate parent. I have raised a bunch of boys through my days as a housemom at a children’s home and I have three sons, but it has been the addition of my daughter that has helped me realize exactly how bad I am at having empathy and listening to someone’s pain. This point was brought home to me the other day when I put my daughter’s beloved Piggy in the wash. A few minutes later Bethany had a bit of a crisis about an unkind brother and instead of coming to me about it, I found her sitting in front of the washing machine explaining the situation through the glass door to the pig. Apparently even when neck deep in water, Piggy is still a more sympathetic listener than Mommy.
As I watched my daughter pour her heart out to a stuffed animal I realized how often I do the same in my own way. I imagine God is a listener like I can often be: too busy to hear with compassion and quick to judge. So instead of taking the concerns of my heart to The One who actually has power, I find myself just looking for the nearest pair of ears who would validate what I already think, which I’m pretty sure is why my daughter goes to Piggy.
I want to be more intentional about listening with love to my daughter’s heart and also to teach her that God wants to hear from her, too. And the best way to teach her, is for me to do it myself.